Thailand to welcome more legal Myanmar workers

BANGKOK, December 24 (TNA) - Thailand is welcoming more legal Myanmar workers, as new immigration offices will be opened in five more provinces. A meeting was held on Saturday in Bangkok between Thai Deputy Prime Minister Police Captaint Chalerm Yubumrung and Myanmar’s Vice Minister for Labour H.E. U Myint Thein, at which the issue on ways to incorporate more Myanmar workers into the Thai workforce legally was discussed. The visiting Myanmar’s Vice Minister said currently only about 10,000-20,000 Myanmar nationals in Thailand hold legal work permits, underscoring the Myanmar government's policy on promoting legal recognition for all Myanmar citizens working in Thailand. The deputy premier confirmed that Thailand supports the plan to set up more immigration offices in Bangkok and other four provinces, including Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Chiang Mai and Surat Thani. On the occasion, the deputy premier also asked the Myanmar government to keep suppressing human trafficking and illegal harbouring of foreign workers, which eventually leads to the cross-border crime. (TNA)